English word origin

Etymology of phile

Clipping of pedophile.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A pedophile.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of pedophile.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pedophile"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of pedophile"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "pedophile",
      "pedophile#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A pedophile."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "0b23cf3d62485efd44a7e96fd4432326c9f220b69820f96421702997c372799d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4912f4663db3c9049b0496b9e279bae9f209a5ea651ee7ede49b7b2dae80f380",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 10401090
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A lover (of something).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Nominalization of -phile.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "nominalization",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-phile"
      },
      "expansion": "Nominalization of -phile"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-phile",
      "-phile#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A lover (of something)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "2bbe51adc6658f2d02e52b7c582641760fb4d5ae5e591d7252fafe80a936278b",
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for phile →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-cGhpbGU